Former Cairns athlete Montanna McAvoy off to World Mountain and Trail Running Championships

A former Cairns athlete will compete in two gruelling events at inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand, next month: How she trains to run up mountains

Running up and down steep mountain trails for two hours at a time is part of the gruelling training a former Cairns athlete is undertaking ahead of competing in the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai Thailand, next month.

An Innisfail product, McAvoy, 22, is one of two Australian female athletes on the 27-strong team.

She has been selected to compete in two events and she said she’s doing her utmost to be in prime form to give the championships her best crack.

“There’s the vertical climb, an 8.5km scramble to the top of the mountain which involves a 1km ascent,” she said.

“Then following a rest day to recover there’s the 11.2km up and down event which involves ascents and descents of between 500s and 700m.”

Former Cairns athlete Montanna McAvoy, 22, will represent Australia at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai Thailand November 3 to 6. 2022.

McAvoy said she had been mentally preparing for the championships, which will be held in the mountain region 700km north of Bangkok

“I’ve been doing lots of running on the trails at Castle Hill in Townsville,” she said.

“I moved there to study a double degree majoring in management and political science and international relations at JCU.

“It’s not a sport for weaklings, it’s very technical and you have to be present otherwise you can trip or roll an ankle.”

Coached by Sidney Willis, coaching director of the Hungry Runners Group, since relocating from Cairns McAvoy has dominated the Outer Adventure Trail races over the past year over varying distances.

Former Cairns athlete Montanna McAvoy, 22, will represent Australia at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai Thailand November 3 to 6. 2022.

“I competed in my first 50km run at the Noosa Trail Festival and came fourth,” she said.

McAvoy’s recent placings include first female in the 40km Cairns Trail Race, first female in the Whitsundays 28km Trail Race and first female in the Great Pyramid Race, her second Great Pyramid title having previously won in 2018.

The former Trinity Anglican School Student and Peninsula School Sport Representative previously competed in track and field and has represented Australia in the Junior Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas and the World U20’s in Finland, in 3000m and 3000m Steeplechase as well as attending a US university on scholarship in 2019.

Originally published as Former Cairns athlete Montanna McAvoy off to World Mountain and Trail Running Championships